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papergrinder's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure whether to give 3 or 4 stars. I really liked parts of it, but sometimes it could get a little slow. The cyberpunk tropes are fairly up-to-date, but still tropey. The characters are very relatable. If you want a fun heist story that doesn't insult your intelligence, this is a good pick.
krakentoagoodbook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
abetterjulie's review against another edition
5.0
If you’ve read the Philip K Dick story where the guy has to swipe his way out of his own apartment, conning the AI into extending him enough credit to use his own john and thought, oh yeah, that’s exactly how the future’s gonna be, then you’ll understand when I say that White has built one of the most realistic futures I’ve ever read. Every scene is grounded and alive with sensory details that aren’t cynical, tropey, or preachy. They are absolutely believable and sensible and never separate from the people who inhabit the setting, and this foundation makes the whole book an immersive thrill ride.
If you’ve read any Robin Hobb books and been astounded that you could care about fictional people so much, wait until you meet the messy bunch of individuals tangled up in this drama. I love a book that makes me talk out loud to the characters, and White delivers this with every twist and turn. The compassion in this book was a welcome surprise – no 80s cyberpunk coldness here and hallelujah! the smooth and relaxed representation! I may have cheered once or twice.
If you’ve read Neuromancer and felt a little baffled and out-of-touch, White has cracked the code on making a tech heist concrete and understandable without losing any of the excitement or wonder. The stakes are clear, the mission impossible, and the people flawed. It’s a gorgeous, enthralling read, and I can’t wait to shove Repo Virtual into people’s hands and tell them…read this! It’s magnificent.
I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you’ve read any Robin Hobb books and been astounded that you could care about fictional people so much, wait until you meet the messy bunch of individuals tangled up in this drama. I love a book that makes me talk out loud to the characters, and White delivers this with every twist and turn. The compassion in this book was a welcome surprise – no 80s cyberpunk coldness here and hallelujah! the smooth and relaxed representation! I may have cheered once or twice.
If you’ve read Neuromancer and felt a little baffled and out-of-touch, White has cracked the code on making a tech heist concrete and understandable without losing any of the excitement or wonder. The stakes are clear, the mission impossible, and the people flawed. It’s a gorgeous, enthralling read, and I can’t wait to shove Repo Virtual into people’s hands and tell them…read this! It’s magnificent.
I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
kortnireads's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Tor for my first ARC!
Sci-fi, cyber-punk, heist centered action. Overall, I found the writing to be nicely done, but lacking in character development. This is especially seen with the main "villains" of the story. They did not feel very credible or threatening. I think the lack of connection to the characters was a major component to my lowering of my rating. They preformed their roles as characters and that felt like that was all. Oddly enough, I was most connected to the AI system which is fitting, seeing as the core message is that sentience equates to being a person. I just wish I would have had more to connect to for the other characters in the heist "crew."
The world building, in terms of the city-scape and technology was interesting and well done. I think the themes explored in this were interesting, such as the idea of what constitutes as a person and how this related to the idea of artificial intelligence. I think the author also integrates common issues with technology into the story in a way that we can relate to in our current world and the ever growing influence of technology.
I think this book is a unique, quick read that can present some interesting ideas to think about, but lacks in character development and connection.
Again, thanks to the publisher, Tor, for providing me with an e-copy to review! This book is set to publish April 21st so be on the look out for it soon!
Sci-fi, cyber-punk, heist centered action. Overall, I found the writing to be nicely done, but lacking in character development. This is especially seen with the main "villains" of the story. They did not feel very credible or threatening. I think the lack of connection to the characters was a major component to my lowering of my rating. They preformed their roles as characters and that felt like that was all. Oddly enough, I was most connected to the AI system which is fitting, seeing as the core message is that sentience equates to being a person. I just wish I would have had more to connect to for the other characters in the heist "crew."
The world building, in terms of the city-scape and technology was interesting and well done. I think the themes explored in this were interesting, such as the idea of what constitutes as a person and how this related to the idea of artificial intelligence. I think the author also integrates common issues with technology into the story in a way that we can relate to in our current world and the ever growing influence of technology.
I think this book is a unique, quick read that can present some interesting ideas to think about, but lacks in character development and connection.
Again, thanks to the publisher, Tor, for providing me with an e-copy to review! This book is set to publish April 21st so be on the look out for it soon!
amelia86's review against another edition
5.0
I highly recommend this book! The characters, story, and world building were all first-rate!
yetikaiserin's review against another edition
4.0
A really, really good cyberpunk story. Closer to now than comfortable, open, diverse, queer and very thoughtful. Talked about artificial/Sentinent/non-biological entities in a very accessible way. If you want a great caper, coole characters and well formed thoughts about the future, look no further. The book is also quite angry, which I enjoyed.
flying_monkey's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was recommended this after I said on Twitter that cyberpunk was dead, as the best example of current cyberpunk writing. It's a good enough near-future tale set in Korea's model smart city, Song-do, but as a researcher in this area, it was all too obvious to me what the author had been reading, even down to specific articles and it lacks the cool of early William Gibson or the politics of Bruce Stirling. The plot, featuring a virtual heist and an emergent AI, is almost a complete remix of Neuromancer with a dash of Robert J Sawyer's WWW Trilogy thrown in for good measure. And while it's great to see queer and trans characters to the fore, you can't help thinking that they appear to be written in a way that only a cis-het white guy could write them. Not the future of cyberpunk then...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
jacf83f4's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this one. Beautiful world-building, interesting plot with genuinely tense moments, and believable characters that I could really visualise and care about, particularly a kickass older woman!
This was really good writing, with themes and ideas that spoke to my head and my heart. A very compelling read.
This was really good writing, with themes and ideas that spoke to my head and my heart. A very compelling read.